Another Cameroon article

[Guest guest]

DNA testing will be useless as gorilla DNA does not change at national

borders. It's a total red herring and in any case could have been done long

ago! Plus, there is evidence from the staff of Ibadan Zoo in Nigeria which

smuggled the gorillas to Malaysia that Cameroon was the origin of the

Taiping Four and that many more infant gorillas that reached the zoo with

most dying before going anywhere.

 

The Herald - Cameroon

Wednesday 28 ­ 29 January 2004

 

INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION COMMUNITY DEMANDS IMMEDIATE

REPATRIATION OF CAMEROON'S SMUGGLED GORILLAS

 

More than 65 international organisations and 45

individuals from the international conservation

community have joined the voices of officials of

Cameroon's ministry of environment and forest to

demand the immediate repatriation of four gorillas

smuggled from Cameroon to Malaysia.

A declaration in support of the repatriation of the

gorillas popularly known as the Taiping four was

recently signed by the officials of the organisations

and is presently being widely circulated for further

support by International Primate Protection League,

IPPL and the Last Great Apes Organisation, LAGA, the

Herald gathered. The declaration was signed against

speculations that South African government had been

negotiating with the Malaysian government so that the

National Zoological Garden in Pretoria [missing few words here].

The secretary general in the ministry of environment

and forest, Madi Ali had earlier told pressman in

Yaounde that his ministry's wish was to see that the

gorillas that were illegally exported from Cameroon

since January 2002 to the Taiping zoo in Malaysia be

repatriated to Cameroon under the best conditions

possible.

The director of wildlife and protect areas in the

ministry of environment and forest, Ebai Takang

Stephen, told the Herald that official letters had

been addressed to the Malaysian government with

regards to the " Taiping Four. " " The position of the

government of Cameroon has not changed since we stared

negotiating for the repatriation of these animals, " the director stated. He

said the government of

Cameroon was strongly urging the Malaysian government

to send the four animals back to their native land

after the recommended DNA testing.

The director disclosed that during the last

conference of parties to the convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

held in Chile, an agreement was signed by the

government of Malaysia, Nigeria and Cameroon

represented by their ministers in charge of forest and

environment stipulating that the four animals be

repatriated to Cameroon. Ebai further iterated, " We

have all evidence that the animals were smuggled from

Cameron to Malaysia via Nigeria. "

Cameroon is party to CITES which prohibits trade in

protected animal species world-wide. The declaration

by the international conservation community relating

to the four gorillas, has expressed satisfaction with

the position stand the government has taken in

protecting its' wildlife, calling on the gorillas to

be returned to Cameroon. " We call for the four

gorillas to be returned to Cameroon as it is their

country of origin, " it is stated in the declaration.

The Cameroon wildlife law reflecting CITES

regulations defines dealing with gorillas or any other

threatened species as a very serious offence with a

punishment of up to 3 years imprisonment. article 158

of the 1994 forest and wildlife law states that, " A

fine of 3.000.000 ­ 10.000.000 francs CFA and an

imprisonment of 1-3 years shall be imposed on whoever

kills or captures a protected animal. "

Gorillas are threatened species that exists in only

six countries in the entire world. To some people

these gorillas are a main tourist attraction.

 

 

Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League

POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA

Phone: 843-871-2280 Fax: 843-871-7988

E-mail: smcgreal

Visit IPPL's award-winning web site: <http://www.ippl.org>

 

" Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life. "

Confucius, 551-479 BC